Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph shoulders blame for allowing 70 points to Dolphins

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said blame for the Denver Broncos’ 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 starts with him.

“When those things happen, it’s me first,” Joseph said Thursday. “I’ll fix it quickly. We have to.”

There’s little sugarcoating Denver’s defensive performance in the loss, which dropped the team to 0-3. The Dolphins amassed 30 first downs and 726 yards from scrimmage – 350 rushing, 376 passing – which were the second-most yards a defense has ever allowed in the NFL. Miami scored 14-plus points in all four quarters.

“Well it was, obviously … it wasn’t good,” Joseph said. “When your unit plays that way, my first thought is, ‘It’s me and (needing to do) better as a coach and getting guys ready for the challenge.'”

Asked what specifically caused the Broncos so much trouble, Joseph pointed at handling Miami’s elite offensive speed as a big factor.

“It was a combination of a lot of things. Obviously, I didn’t get them ready for the speeds and angles and those things and have them in the right positions,” he said. “Again, I take it first, and we go back and look at it and make sure next time we game-plan (for) a team like that we do better.”

Joseph said the loss was not because of Denver’s lack of effort.

“The players are always giving max effort and trying to do it right to win games,” Joseph said. “But it became a buzzsaw quickly, and it spiraled. It spiraled quickly.”

Facing heat in Denver isn’t new to Joseph, who was the Broncos’ head coach in 2017 and 2018 before being let go with an 11-21 record. He returned to join Sean Payton’s staff this offseason hoping for better results, but following a very solid defensive performance in Week 1, things have turned south, allowing 105 points over the past eight quarters.

The Broncos have allowed a league-worst 122 points through three games. Up next on the schedule: a trip to Soldier Field to face the 0-3 Chicago Bears, who have allowed the second-most points (106).

Joseph said the mission is to put the Miami debacle behind them and turn their focus to the winless Bears, who are just as desperate for a win.

“Our focus now is Chicago, to be honest,” Joseph said. “I mean, it’s over. (The score last week) could’ve been 7-0. It was a loss, and we didn’t play well. So my focus now is Chicago.”